Advanced Card Technlogy - Glossary of Terms

A new version of the glossary is available in our members only section - click here to access.

In June 1996, we published our first glossary of terms related to smart cards. This was distributed to our members for their review and comments. We received excellent feedback and are now issuing our third expanded glossary, covering smart, optical, capacitive, biometric, financial and security terminology. We have also added an area to the beginning of each alphabetic section which deals with abbreviations.

Most of these definitions are public domain, commonly used throughout the industry. In some cases definitions can be attributed to the organization that "coined" the definition. In these cases, the organization is listed in the right hand column. In some cases, you will find more than one definition. We believe that in these cases each definition has merit and have, wherever possible, identified the defining organization.

It continues to be ACT Canada's intention to provide a foundation for common understanding. In this fashion, when you refer to the ACT Canada definition, others will have a clear understanding of what you mean. We don't suggest that these are the definitive terms, or that terms you may use are not equally valid; we seek only to provide common understanding.

We thank Trevor D. Federkiewicz for his work in compiling version 1, the foundation for the second and third versions. Although these terms are public, we thank the Smart Card Forum, Card World User Guide, ACT Canada, Interac, ISO, EMV, Canon and others to which we referred in compiling this glossary

This is a living document that may benefit from your comments and input. Please contact the editor, Catherine Johnston, if you have questions or comments.